Eric Thomas Hartnett

Eric is an extremely bright and talented real estate attorney. I was extremely impressed with the way he handled a recent transaction that I brought to him. I spoke with several attorneys before Eric, and they all missed several key transactional issues that did not slip past Eric. Not only is he ...extremely detailed and thorough, but he also has an impressive knowledge of case precedents that far surpassed anything I saw in other attorneys we consulted. Eric is a pleasure to work with and was incredibly responsive to time sensitive aspects of our deal, even going into the office late at night and on weekends to ensure we hit key deadlines. He offered great advice that kept us well protected until the very end of the transaction, and even beyond. I will most definitely use Eric the next time we have a need.

Eric is not only a good attorney but also has good heart. He is really sharp on knowledge and honest with his clients. He is considerate for his clients. Eric is careful on his time management related to client billing hours. He is very strong and skillful during negotiation. I like working... with him and feel very comfortable for him representing me.

I had an earnest money dispute regarding a failed purchase of a property and came across Eric on Avvo. Based on his good reviews, I decided to give him a try. He did manage to get my entire deposit back with just a demand letter, so for that, I give him a 5/5 (although for most of the points he us...ed in the demand letter, I was already aware of, but I needed a lawyer to say it while citing specific laws for maximum persuasive power). However, for his etiquette and professionalism, I give him 0/5 (1/5 is too generous). During our phone conversation to go over the details of the case, he spent a great deal of time rebuking me for things I had done incorrectly and things that should have been done differently, all in a very condescending and abusive tone. Yes, I know, I made mistakes. This was my first time attempting to purchase real estate, and yes, I didn't fully understand some things in the contract which caused this earnest money dispute. I was fully aware of this when I sought his help, and that is why I needed a lawyer to focus on how to get me out of the situation. I did not need a lawyer that spends a great deal of time scolding me for rookie mistakes. And mind him, I was paying $460 an hour for his time, and I expected him to utilize most of the time constructively. Dwelling on things in the past that cannot be changed and do not further add to my arguments for winning my case is **definitely** not constructive. When he called to tell me the seller was returning my deposit, again, I was not sure of the process since this was my **first time** doing it. So I tried to confirm with him whether or not I talk to my escrow officer about the deposit return. He then **screamed** at me on the phone, saying “NOOOO, you talk to your agent!! “ only to turn back around and say, “Oh yes, I guess maybe you can talk to the escrow officer as well.” This is a pretty abusive and unprofessional tone to take with anyone, let alone your client who is **paying* you for your time. So I guess his rating with me averages out to 2.5/5 (but I can't give partial stars, so I'll round down to 2 just because of the sour taste left in my mouth at the very end). I am very happy that my case did not need to go to mediation or arbitration, not only because it would've cost more time, money and stress, but also because I would've had to deal with even more lawyer abuse from him. I am grateful I got my deposit back, but I definitely won't be using or recommending Eric going forward.